# Daniel A. Gilbert

Daniel A. Gilbert (August 31, 1889 – July 31, 1970) was an American police officer and politician who was active in Cook County, Illinois's law enforcement from 1917 to 1950, and referred to as the world's richest cop due to his net worth of $360,000. He unsuccessfully ran for Cook County Sheriff with the Democratic nomination in 1950.
Entering the workforce at age 11, Gilbert was elected secretary-treasurer for his local affiliate of the Baggage and Parcel Delivery Drivers Union and later controlled multiple Teamsters locals. He became a police officer for the Chicago Police Department in 1917, and rose to captain by 1926. State's Attorney Thomas J. Courtney selected him to serve as chief investigator in 1932, and held the position, with a brief interruption in 1935, until his resignation in 1950.
Jacob Arvey had the Democratic nomination for sheriff given to Gilbert in 1950, despite opposition from U.S. Senators Scott W. Lucas and Paul Douglas. His testimony before the Kefauver Committee was leaked and his defeat was blamed for other Democratic losses on the ballot, including that of Lucas.

## Early life

Daniel Gilbert was born on August 31, 1889, and was the oldest of eight children. He was given the nickname "Tubbo" due to his large size. He married Elizabeth Courtney, with whom he had one child.

## Career
### Union

At age 11 Gilbert claimed to be 14 so that he could become a wagon boy for Marshall Field's and became a member of Local 725 of the Baggage and Parcel Delivery Drivers Union. He was elected secretary-treasurer of Local 725 in 1913, defeating incumbent Henry L. Deike, was shot during the campaign. The police questioned Gilbert, M.J. Ross (the president of the union), and Charles Applequist, but they were exonerated for the shooting. George William Bliss stated that Gilbert controlled seven Teamsters locals by 1938 and that union leaders reported directly to him.

### Legal affairs and wealth

Newspapers referred to Gilbert as the world's richest cop. His salary as chief investigator for the Cook County state's attorney was $9,000 per year. Gilbert claimed to have receive his first stock tip in 1921, and his net worth rose to $98,000 by 1929, but fell to $15,000 after the Wall Street crash of 1929. A report conducted during Clinton Anderson's tenure as United States Secretary of Agriculture showed that Gilbert was profiting off of grain market speculation. Gilbert claimed to have earned $10,000-12,000 from gambling in 1936.
On November 15, 1938, Gilbert was among 63 people and 34 companies indicted for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by conspiring to fix the prices and create an artificial scarcity in the ice cream and milk industries. Gilbert pled not guilty and the charges against 43 people and 14 corporations were dismissed on July 13, 1939, by Judge Charles Edgar Woodward. The charges against the remaining people and companies were dismissed on September 16, 1940.
Theodore Dalpe filed a $50,000 lawsuit against Gilbert, John R. McWhorter, and six investigators on November 21, 1939, claiming that the defendants had assaulted and detained him without probable cause from January 28 to February 1, 1938. Dalpe was convicted on April 4, 1938, for receiving stolen property, but the Supreme Court of Illinois reversed the decision on June 30, 1938. Dalpe's wife Bernice filed an additional $50,000 lawsuit against the same defendants on January 25, 1940, claiming their furs and jewelry were illegally seized and that she was beaten and held for 12 hours without food. On November 5, 1941, a jury awarded Dalpe $1 for the charges against McWhorter, but the other defendants were found not guilty. The defendants for Bernice Dalpe's lawsuit were found not guilty on June 24, 1943.
In October 1940, Elmer Williams's magazine Lightnin' published an article which accused Gilbert of being a part of an organization stealing fur clothing. The state of Illinois filed criminal libel charges, which was rarely used, against Williams. Gilbert was under cross-examination for multiple hours. However, Williams was acquitted on June 6, 1941, after the jury deliberated for 20 minutes.

### Law enforcement

Gilbert applied to be a police driver for the Chicago Police Department in 1912, and listed his birthdate as August 31, 1885, due to the age requirement of 24. He gave his actual birthdate when he applied again in 1914, but his first submission remained his officially recognized birthdate. He later had it officially changed to 1889 to avoid a forced retirement. Gilbert became a police officer on April 6, 1917, and was promoted to sergeant on May 6, 1922, lieutenant on August 2, 1924, and captain on January 25, 1926. In May 1920, Gilbert and W.H. Beehan arrested 12 people and recovered $12,050 worth of property, the most for both categories that month in Chicago. From 1931 to December 5, 1932, he served as a supervising captain.
Commissioner James P. Allman reorganized the police department on July 30, 1932. The uniformed division was separated and divided into six districts, each with its own supervisor, across Chicago. Matthew Zimmer was made chief of the uniformed division. Gilbert was made supervisor of the 5th district.
State's Attorney Thomas J. Courtney selected Gilbert to replace chief investigator Pat Roche starting December 5, 1932. Commissioner James P. Allman appointed Gilbert to replace Ira J. McDowell as head of the uniformed division on Chicago police department on April 4, 1935, making him one of the highest-ranking officials. However, Gilbert returned to his position as chief investigator on July 13. Gilbert was the head of the police investigation into the kidnapping of John Factor's son, for which Roger Touhy claimed that he was "railroaded" by Gilbert, and the manhunt for John Dillinger occurred during his tenure.
Political boss George E. Brennan was a friend of Gilbert and he was a pallbearer at Brennan's funeral in 1928. In 1940, Oscar Nelson, the Republican nominee for Cook County State's Attorney, claimed that Gilbert met Frank Nitti in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the previous year and played golf on a daily basis; Gilbert denied the allegations.

### 1950 sheriff election

Democratic boss Jacob Arvey had the Democratic nomination for Cook County Sheriff given to Gilbert and later stated that he blundered by doing that. U.S. Senators Scott W. Lucas and Paul Douglas opposed his nomination. Lucas wrote that Paul Douglas attempted to persuade the Cook County machine to select somebody other than Gilbert. On January 19, 1950, Gilbert was given a year's leave of absence as police regulations prohibited police officers from taking part in political campaigns. Gilbert was in California from August to September 13, as he was attempting to recover from hay fever.
Vice President Alben W. Barkley endorsed Gilbert, but Douglas refused to campaign for him and the Chicago Sun-Times, which usually endorsed Democrats, endorsed John E. Babb instead. Arvey was concerned by the lack of newspaper support for Gilbert. Gilbert spent $45,000 of his own money putting up billboards.
The Republicans initially nominated J. Malachy Coughlan, but selected John E. Babb after Coughlan died on August 25, 1950. The Chicago Crime Commission offered to host a televised debate between the two candidates, which Babb accepted, but Gilbert declined. Higher on the ballot, Lucas declined to debate Everett Dirksen, his Republican opponent. The two candidates met for a radio broadcast moderated by Kermit Eby on November 5.
During Gilbert's testimony at Estes Kefauver's committee in 1950, he estimated his own net worth at $360,000, claiming that it was due to investment tips from friends and sports and election gambling. He admitted during the hearing that his gambling activities were not legal stating "Well, no. No, it is not legal. No." when asked by Rudolph Halley. Journalist Ray Brennan was able to gain access to the confidential transcripts of the committee hearing after posing as an office manager. A story on Gilbert's testimony was published by the Chicago Sun-Times on November 2.
A July 1941 sheet showing $24,480 in bribery payouts by the gambling syndicate managed by Jake Guzik, Murray Humphreys, Nitti, and Edward David Vogel listed $4,000 going to an individual named "Tub". Gilbert's political opponents attacked him, citing the closeness of Tub and his nickname Tubbo. Babb also attacked him for the 1,038 unsolved murders in Cook County.
Gilbert's defeat was alleged to have caused other Democratic candidates to have lost due to voters using straight ballot tickets. Lucas lost reelection in the concurrent U.S. Senate election and the Republicans gained control of the Sanitary District. Arvey stated that Gilbert's defeat had affected other Democratic candidates and retired as chair of the Cook County Democratic Party. This was the only time that Gilbert ran for elected office.

## Later life

Gilbert resigned as chief investigator a day after losing the sheriff election and retired from the police dpeartment a few days later. He received a job as security chief at Arlington Park, which was own by Democratic-aligned businessman Benjamin F. Lindheimer. His brother, Maurice Gilbert, held the same position since 1948, while on leave from the Chicago Police Department due to bad health and business reasons.
Gilbert was injured on February 9, 1960, after a tree fell on his golf cart while he was golfing in Palm Springs, California. He suffered a heart attack in July 1963, was hospitalized at Wesley Memorial Hospital in July 1964, and his wife was made conservator of his estate in November. He died on July 31, 1970, at Wesley Memorial Hospital. His funeral was attended by Arvey, Richard J. Daley, and Joseph D. Keenan.